This article covers cultural links between India and Switzerland, including festivals, exhibitions, monuments, yoga and film, as well as Indian studies at Swiss universities, tourism in both directions and the Indian community in Switzerland. It is based on the MEA bilateral brief of June 2026.

Historical visits

The brief describes Switzerland as a meeting point for East and West. Swami Vivekananda visited Switzerland in 1896, and the country also hosted Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation. Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore visited in 1926 and Mahatma Gandhi in 1931.

Festivals and cultural events

A Festival of India was held in 12 cities of Switzerland and Liechtenstein in 2018 under the theme "Connecting Himalayas with Alps". The celebrations of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi were used to promote Gandhian values.

"India in the Alps", an Indian cultural festival of music, dance, exhibitions, cuisine, crafts, Bollywood and yoga, was held in 2022 at Berne, Zurich and Geneva as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. To mark the 75th anniversary of India's independence and of India-Switzerland diplomatic relations, photo exhibitions on Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Swami Vivekananda were held in various cantons during 2022-2023.

A three-day "India Fest & Margazhi Utsav - 2024" was held in Zurich from 6-8 December 2024 and inaugurated by the Ambassador. It featured a panel discussion, classical and folk performances, a "Bharat Fashion Walk" and a Yakshagana presentation, along with Indian cuisine, exhibitions, an ODOP lounge and an Indian Bazaar.

Museums and exhibitions

According to the MEA brief of June 2026, several Swiss museums hold Indian collections:

  • the Swiss Games Museum in Montreux has a collection of games which originated in India
  • a museum in Lugano has rare photographs of Mahatma Gandhi
  • the Swiss National Museum in Prangins has an exhibition of cotton fabric from India
  • the Charlie Chaplin Museum at Vevey has an India connection
  • Museum Rietberg in Zurich has, in the brief's words, one of the best collections of Indian miniature paintings

Museum Rietberg held an exhibition on "Ragamala", in which music, poetry and painting are combined in Indian miniature painting, from 20 September 2024 to 19 January 2025, presenting around fifty masterpieces. Its exhibition "Being Jain: Art & Culture of an Indian Religion" ran from 18 November 2022 to 30 April 2023 and featured 20 objects loaned from museums in India.

Statues and busts

  • A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was installed at Ariana Park, Geneva in 2007.
  • A bust of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was unveiled at the University of Lausanne in October 2011 by President Smt. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil during her visit to Switzerland.
  • A bronze bust of Swami Vivekananda was installed at Saas Fee in August 2013 to mark his 150th Birth Anniversary. He had visited Saas Fee in August 1896.
  • President Shri Ram Nath Kovind unveiled a bronze bust of Mahatma Gandhi in September 2019 on the banks of Lake Geneva at Villeneuve, where Gandhi went in 1931 to meet Romain Rolland.

Yoga

The brief states that about a quarter of a million Swiss residents practise yoga, and that women make up the bulk of them. Many private studios, resorts and retreats offer classes in almost all cantons.

The Embassy of India was part of "The Guardian Ring" programmes for the International Day of Yoga 2022. The Mission in Berne organises yoga sessions in various Swiss cities, including International Day of Yoga celebrations every year, and did so again in 2026.

Film

Bollywood filmmaker Yash Chopra, who shot many films in the Interlaken region, was honoured by the city of Interlaken with a bronze statue in a central location. Shahrukh Khan received a lifetime achievement award at the 77th Locarno Film Festival in August 2024.

The Embassy of India organised an Indian Film Festival in several Swiss cities in February-March 2025 and again in 2026. The Mission also took part in the first and second Asia Pacific Film Festival, held in Berne in January-February 2025 and 2026.

Indian studies and education

The University of Lausanne (UNIL) offers courses in Indian Studies covering language and literature (Hindi and Sanskrit), culture and history. The University of Zurich (UZH) offers courses in Indian Studies and Indology, with modules in language acquisition (Hindi, Sanskrit and Pali), culture and society.

An MoU establishing the "Rabindranath Tagore Chair in Indian Studies" was signed in 2011. The Swiss side terminated the agreement in April 2023. In 2012, the Indian Council of Social Science Research and the University of Lausanne signed an MoU on institutional cooperation and social sciences and humanities projects under the ISJRP.

As of the brief's date, 2,419 Indian students are studying in Switzerland. The brief does not mention ICCR scholarships for Swiss students.

Tourism

The brief states that Switzerland remains one of the top destinations for Indian travellers, for honeymoons, for locations from Bollywood films, and for mountain and city trips. With 666’641 overnights generated in 2024, India is the 10th highest source market for Switzerland in terms of tourist arrivals.

Figures from India's Bureau of Immigration cited in the brief show Indian tourists to Switzerland rising from 1,25,561 in 2023 to 1,54,822 in 2024. Swiss tourists to India rose from 41,004 in 2023 to 44,122 in 2024.

The Indian community

As of June 2026, there are over 29,248 Indians in Switzerland, including about 9662 persons of Indian origin. They work mostly in engineering, IT, pharmaceuticals, and paramedical and nursing fields. Some are employed in international organisations such as the UN and UPU, and at institutions such as the Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich and EPFL, Lausanne.

The community is concentrated in Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Baden, Berne and Lausanne. A number of Indian associations organise cultural activities and celebrate Indian festivals and national days. Swiss MP Mr. Nik Gugger and Mayor Jean-Philippe Pinto attended the 1st PIO Parliamentarian Conference in New Delhi on 9 January 2018.

Pravasi Bhartiya Samman awardees in Switzerland named in the brief are:

  • the late Dr. Rajendra Joshi, a Swiss-based NRI scientist, who passed away in 2019
  • Dr. Shachi Gurumayum, conferred the Award in 2021 for his contribution in the field of bio-tech agronomy
  • Dr. Archana Sharma, a particle physicist at CERN, conferred the Award in 2023 in the S&T field